An independent regulatory committee has discovered that Ivan Toney routinely bet on games in which his own team was involved, including 13 times when he backed his team to lose, and that he provided “clearly false” responses to the probe into his violations of gambling laws.
The England striker was given an eight-month suspension after confessing to 232 violations of FA Rule E8, which forbids players from partaking in football gambling. According to the commission’s written reasons, if Toney had not been identified as having a gambling addiction throughout the investigation, his punishment would have been three months longer.
One of the most significant violations of gambling laws that the FA has pursued is in Toney’s case. The commission discovered 29 wagers involving the team Toney was registered with or borrowing from at the time. 13 of them were wagers on his own team to lose, even though Toney was not there for those matches. The other two bets concern a Wigan v. Aston Villa game while he was on loan at Wigan but not in the squad, and 11 of the bets were against Newcastle while he was playing for another team.
Gambling on your own performance in a game, which Toney was also found to have done, can result in a life ban, as can betting on your own team to lose. Toney placed 16 wagers on his team to win and 15 wagers on himself to score. Additionally, he used other parties to wager on his behalf, disclosed insider information about a game, and suppressed facts from the investigation.
According to the committee, Toney attempted to hide his gambling by “using third parties and their betting accounts in case there was ever an investigation.” It disproved his assertion that he merely wanted to keep his gambling a secret from his parents.
After accepting responsibility for the 232 violations that occurred between 2017 and 2021, Toney’s original 15-month sentence was reduced to 11. The panel decided to further reduce the tariff after accounting for Toney’s age (he is currently 27) and the addiction diagnosis.
The panel reported that Toney had admitted to needing addiction treatment and had expressed sincere regret for breaching the rules.
It is agreed upon by all parties that the sentence should be lessened in light of Mr. Toney’s personal available mitigation, the panel stated. This includes his relative youth at the time the violations started, his prior track record of good behavior with regard to offenses other than on-field violations, and his sincere regret that he stated in detail before the commission.
“The player’s lack of self-control when it comes to gambling is obviously a manifestation of his identified gambling addiction. It appears that Mr. Toney still bets on other sports and casino games but has stopped betting on football. At the end of this season, he’s committed to seeking help for his gambling issues.
Gareth Southgate, the manager of England, confirmed this week that he had spoken to Toney and advised the sport to “look after” the player. “I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody, that they’re not allowed to be part of the football community,” he remarked. I don’t believe that is how the best rehabilitation programs operate, or how we should operate.
Brentford pledged on Friday to “do everything possible” to support Toney, who has scored 20 goals in the Premier League this season but is now serving a suspension that prevents him from returning to training until September. When the club found out about Toney’s gambling addiction will now be a topic of discussion.
According to Brentford, the commission “noted that none of the charges related to events where Ivan could adversely impact his own team.” “The club will now take every step possible to help Ivan and his family deal with the problems brought up in this instance. We now deem this problem to be resolved, and we can’t wait to see Ivan back in training in September and playing for Brentford in the Premier League in January.
Toney tweeted on Friday, breaking his quiet, “I’ll speak soon with no filter.”
